The BRS is preparing for a massive show of strength at the public meeting to be held on 17 February at the Parade Ground in Secunderabad. The public rally which will be held after the inauguration of the new Secretariat will be attended by other chief ministers like MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu as well as Hemant Soren of Jharkhand. This will be the second such rally of the BRS in the presence of regional leaders after Khammam which had been attended by AAP and SP leaders.

With just months left before Assembly elections in the state the BRS seems to be using the event to mobilize its cadres and rejuvenate its organisation in the Greater Hyderabad region. The BRS is comparatively weaker in urban pockets, particularly in and around Hyderabad and was able to hold on to the civic body only because of the support from the AIMIM after the BJP saw a meteoric rise in the last civic elections.

Moreover, this will be the first rally of the BRS where chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son KT Rama Rao and industry minister will not only be present but was also in charge of organising the meeting. He had skipped the opening of the party office in Delhi and the rallies in Khammam and Nanded, setting tongues wagging.

BRS leaders of Hyderabad and adjoining areas of Ranga Reddy and Medchal- Malkajgiri have been told to ensure that at least 10,000 people attend the rally from each of the constituencies in the Greater Hyderabad area. The party seems to be aiming to gather more than two lakh people for the meeting at the Parade Ground.

Since 17 February also happens to be the birthday of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, there will be a lot of enthusiasm among the BRS cadres to make the rally a success. KT Rama Rao today held a preparatory meeting with BRS MLAs and other public representatives of the area.

On 13 February there will be an extensive cadre meet in all the constituencies in the GHMC area in order to mobilize the people. Also taking cue from the BJP’s organisational skills the BRS has also asked senior MLA and MLCs from other districts who will be in charge of each constituency to stay put between 13 February and 17 February in the allocated segments.

Rao also suggested that the leaders should hold special events to mark the opening of the Secretariat since it has been named after BR Ambedkar.